Thirty Prophecies
by Ikabi
Summary: Thirty times Minato is right about the future, and one time he isn't. - Various chapters include humor, drama, angst, and romance. #2: Minato thinks that some D-rank missions are more frustrating than others.
1. Hokage

Disclaimer: Don't own. Was not written for profit.

Warning: Might contain alternative interpretations of canon events. Also, I haven't been keeping up to date with the series, so my information could be wrong.

Premise: Thirty times Minato was right about the future, and one time he wasn't.

Chapter summary: Minato is going to grow up to be the Hokage.

* * *

><p><strong>Thirty Prophecies<strong>

"Hokage"

Hikagi

* * *

><p>Namikaze Minato is only ten years old when he graduates from the academy. It's supposedly a big accomplishment because there are other ninja and civilians whispering about it when they think he can't hear them. The instructors are saying that he's a genius – a prodigy – and that he's going to have a bright career ahead of him.<p>

In truth, he doesn't think it's that big of a deal. He could have graduated earlier if he had so wished, but he feels that it's important to connect with the other members of his class. He's bright enough to know that sometimes, skill and prowess aren't good enough to succeed in life; sometimes, it's about the people you know.

Also, he genuinely enjoys spending time with his classmates, quirks and faults aside.

But now that he has graduated early (and they have not), he's not going to have those connections to fall back on. He's going to have to make new ones.

Fortunately, his teammates don't seem to mind having a slightly younger person as their third member. He recognizes both of them from his stint in the academy and familiarizes himself with them. The girl is eleven years old (courtesy of a late birthday), wary (probably because she's the only female on the team), and quite stubborn (if her frowns are any indication). The other boy is twelve, a little on the small side (possibly due to a late growth spurt or genetics), and nervous (his older brother had graduated two years ago and is considerably more talented). Minato thinks he will get along with them just fine; his tentative gestures at friendship are met with polite interest (from the girl) and enthusiasm (from the boy). They seem to be quite normal, given the circumstances.

Their sensei, on the other hand, looks to be anything but.

He has long white hair that sticks up in spikes, a bottle of what looks like _sake_ in one hand, and a notepad (and brush) in the other. Of course, there are the appropriate weapons and ninja gear in the usual places on his person, but it's the little things (such as the fading bruise on one cheek, the splotches on his dirty clothes) that stand out.

It doesn't help that the man is muttering something (which sounds like, "Of all the times to lose a bet – why now? Especially to _her_?") under his breath and occasionally scratching his head with the edge of his notepad. Minato hopes that he doesn't get the brush stuck in his hair, or try to scratch his head with his other hand – the one holding a container of liquid. He doesn't fancy talking to a man who reeks of alcohol.

"Oi," the man says after a minute of grumbling. Minato thinks he could probably pass for a drunk or a crazy person with the way his hair sticks up in the back, courtesy of the haphazard scratching. "I'm Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Three. And you brats are my new team." He takes a swig from the bottle before gesturing to the only girl there. "You there. Introduce yourself."

Minato pays some attention to her, mentally filing away her likes and dislikes, her aspirations and dreams for the future. The other part of his brain is studying his new sensei and memorizing the small details he has missed in his initial assessment.

The _sake_ bottle is not actually filled with _sake_. Instead, judging by the faint whiff he catches when the wind blows his way, Minato thinks it's full of a sort of herbal tea (most likely cold by now) – probably made at home, considering its unusual packaging. The splotches on Jiraiya-sensei's clothes, which Minato initially has thought to be traces of grime, wear, or negligence, actually turn out to be patterns; patterns which would most likely aid in camouflage in a situation where genjutsu would be easily detected. The extra scrolls around the man's vest could mean any number of things, but with what he knows about the Sannin and the Sandaime, he thinks they are for the various sealing techniques Jiraiya-san is famous for.

And the bruise… Well, that one actually looks more like a handprint, now that he thinks about it. And from its size, shape, and color, probably from a female ninja with an incredible amount of upper body strength.

With a sudden clarity, Minato realizes that this man is quite a character, and he might be able to tolerate Jiraiya of the Sannin as his sensei.

He thinks he will come to love this team with time.

"My name is Namikaze Minato," he says when it's his turn at introductions. "And one day, I'm going to be the Hokage."

_fine_

* * *

><p><span>Author's Notes<span>:

Minato is written as ミナト in katakana, which (if tilted at just the right angle) can also look like the kanji for 三十卜. 三十 is 30 (or more literally, 3 and 10), and卜can translate to "fortune-telling" or "divining" or "prophecy" (although it might not be grammatically correct - I wouldn't know). I had been brainstorming possible fic ideas, and while trying too hard to come up with puns, I resorted to writing down names in katakana/hiragana. Bam! Cue plunny attacks.

Thirty Prophecies was partially inspired by the _twenty truths_ as well as the _five things that never happened (and one that did)_ formats. Future chapters might contain more than one "prophecy", if the scenes are short. This chapter is testing the waters, so to speak.

_February 29, 2012_

_Yatsuka Hikagi_


	2. On Missing Pets and Speed Runs

Premise: Thirty times Minato was right about the future, and one time he wasn't.

Chapter summary: Minato thinks that some D-rank missions are more frustrating than others.

* * *

><p><strong>Thirty Prophecies<strong>

"On Missing Pets (#2) and Speed Runs (#3)"

Hikagi

* * *

><p>Minato thinks that this is one of the worst missions he has ever had. Ever.<p>

Granted, he hasn't had that many of them, but he also hasn't failed so badly before, either, and in such a spectacular fashion.

After the first hour (half of which is spent just _searching_ for the stupid thing), his teammates look a little worse for the wear; there are bits of leaves stuck in their hair, mud on their clothes, strands of spider webs or tree sap on their fingers, and some scrapes and bruises from crawling on all fours and the occasional collision. Belatedly, Minato realizes that he must look no better than they.

They decide to split up, using short-range headsets to communicate, with instructions to check in every quarter of an hour.

* * *

><p>By noon, all the members of Team Jiraiya (minus the man himself) are feeling hungry, frustrated, tired, frustrated, sore, and frustrated. (And did he mention frustrated? Yeah. Definitely frustrated.) Because they have spent the last two hours trying to track down the Daimyo's fiancée's pet.<p>

Minato – and he's mostly sure that his teammates would agree – thinks it would be far better if the blasted animal had never existed in the first place.

However, he also knows that as a good shinobi, it is his duty to complete the mission, no matter how unpleasant it may be. (But that doesn't necessarily mean he has to _like_ it.)

* * *

><p>"This is Yasa," Minato says through his microphone, resisting the urge to swipe the leaves currently blocking his vision. "Check in."<p>

"This is Shizu," he hears. "I've finally located the target. It's heading your way, Yasa."

"Roger, that," Minato responds. "I'll need backup. Tsuyo, do you copy?"

There is a bit of a pause, and then their third teammate grumbles, displeasure clearly evident in her voice. "Next time, sensei's not picking out our code names. They suck." (1)

"Concentrate," Minato reminds her. "We'll have to get used to using cryptonyms for future missions. And besides, you said the same thing fifteen minutes ago."

"Doesn't mean I'm not right."

Minato sighs, wishing he could get the whole situation over with already. "Let's try a flanking maneuver this time. There's a big pond nearby. I'll try herding it in that direction. Yasa, out."

"Got it. See you in three. Shizu, out."

"Wait for me. It'll take four. Tsuyo, out."

* * *

><p>Minato knows that stealth is an important skill that ninja should have. But sometimes…<p>

"Don't lose it again! It'll take forever to track it down-"

"It's going left-"

"I can't see it-"

"How can you _miss_ that? It's the big green blur that's running away from us-"

"In case you haven't noticed, _everything_ here is green!"

"Well, _duh_. It's called _camouflage-_"

"Shut up-"

"_Hurry_!"

"I'm trying-"

"Stupid cold-blooded-"

"This way-"

"No! Not that direction-"

"_Gogogo_!"

"Don't let it get away-"

"Oi, slowpoke, speed up-"

"Catch it! Catch it now-"

"Stop yelling at me!"

"I don't see you doing any better-"

"Faster!"

"It went up a tree-"

"Grab it!"

"_Blast_! Missed-"

"Not _that_ way, _this_ way-"

"Almost-"

"Nonono! _Rightrightright_-"

(A crash as somebody trips over a rock and tumbles into the bushes.) "*-#&!"

"No! _My_ right!"

…Sometimes, there's no _room_ for stealth.

* * *

><p>After what seems like an eternity, they finally have their target cornered. On one side of the clearing, Minato and his teammates are spread out in order to discourage escape in their direction; on the other side is a fairly sizable pond.<p>

The green lizard seems to contemplate its choices, looking back and forth between the trio of genin and the water. Seeing its hesitation, Minato starts to advance, signaling for the others to do the same. They are careful to keep their movements slow, for fear of startling the animal.

They are less than five feet away when the reptile suddenly zips away from them, evades their attempts at capture, scurries over the occasional tree root or rock, reaches the water…

And then starts _running across the pond_.

Minato is sure that at this point, he wants to do nothing more than murder the blasted thing. His teammates share the sentiment.

"No fair!"

"That's cheating!"

The best part of all this is that when they stop to take a five-minute break and hash out what is now their "Plan R", the stupid lizard just crawls right up to them and starts sunbathing on top of Minato's shoes.

* * *

><p>Finally, Team Jiraiya is inside the Mission Room, waiting to turn in their assignment. The Daimyo's fiancée is incredibly grateful and starts cooing at their success.<p>

"Thank you _so_ much," she says when they place the lizard in its cage. "I couldn't find him anywhere! Ryuu-kun doesn't like being handled very much, and escaped while I had my back turned. My future husband had just given him to me in celebration of our upcoming wedding." She takes a moment to bow, and then confides, "He adores exotic animals, but I am much more partial toward mammals. And cute things." (2)

Then with a little more fussing – mostly to thank them again – Shijimi-san takes the cage and starts to croon over the animal, ignoring everyone else in the room. After receiving their paychecks, Jiraiya-sensei offers to treat them to a late lunch. Minato accepts, but his teammates decline, citing family matters, previous obligations, and plain exhaustion.

"She calls the lizard 'Ryuu'?" Minato asks when they are out of earshot, incredulous. "_Why_?"

Jiraiya-sensei just snickers. "It seems someone has an interesting sense of humor."

Minato doesn't see what's so funny. But then again, he _has_ just spent the last four hours or so chasing the stupid thing. "Acted like one, if you ask me. All haughty and mean and wily and everything."

"Well, then," Jiraiya nods with all the wisdom of a sage, "Ryuu's name definitely fits his personality." He then tousles Minato's hair.

Minato doesn't appreciate the gesture. "Why can't she replace it with something more mundane – like a cat or something?"

"Perhaps," his sensei says with a grin that is much too wide to be sympathetic. It's clear that he has enjoyed watching his students suffer. "But she has to keep it because it's a gift from the daimyo. Because theirs is an arranged marriage, it would not be a politically wise move on her part to lose the lizard." He pauses for a few seconds, then continues. "Maybe she'll choose her own pet after this one dies. Until then, you're stuck with chasing Ryuu. It'll be good speed training for you and your teammates. The little bugger's quick."

"One day," Minato vows, more to himself than anyone else, "I'm going to be able to run faster than that stupid lizard. I'll be faster than _anything."_

He only hopes that in the future, the Daimyo's wife doesn't replace her exotic pet with something more vexatious.

God help the future generations of Konoha, otherwise.

_fine_

* * *

><p><span>Author's Notes:<span>

This time, it's two "prophecies" in one chapter: the beginnings of what could lead to Tora the cat, and Minato's legendary speed. I had originally been trying to come up with a way to explain the origins of Minato's moniker, but this took precedence. I'll try again for the next installment, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter in the meantime.

1. The codenames were based off of Japanese adjectives mainly because I'm a bit leery of giving them (Minato's teammates) actual names.

2. "Ryuu the lizard" is a (plumed) basilisk, which is also known by a number of other (nick)names. Most people know it as the lizard that can walk on water – add in a little bit of Greek mythology/etymology (basilisk = "little king"), and the name is _perfect_. I decided that Madam Shijimi calls him "Ryuu" (dragon) because she names her cat "Tora" (tiger) in canon, and those are both animals in the eastern zodiac. Why not. [shrugs]

Happy Pi Day – or White Day, depending on your location/culture – for those of you who celebrate it! [end nerd]

_Yatsuka Hikagi_

_March 14, 2012_


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